An Assassins Sword
by MementoMori115
Summary: There was once a man. He sought to be a hero of the people, to save everyone. However he was betrayed by his ideals and condemned to death. But his story is not yet over. His power has been inherited by his reincarnation. He shall guide the boy through this age of turmoil. And hopefully, the boy will fare better than he did. Possible Tatsumi x harem. Rated T- for now
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- So, I took the advice you guys left in the reviews and decided to revamp the first chapter. It is shorter now as a result, but hopefully it's better.**

 **You can expect a change in Tatsumi's personality, but it won't be too major. Part of Archer's personality will bleed into his, but he WON'T be Archer. Also, Archer will be acting as a sort of 'guide' if you will. He will be giving Tatsumi advice and instructions among other things.**

 **As for Tatsumi, he will have access to all of Archer's abilities.**

 **You can expect this story to diverge from canon, but it won't happen immediately.**

 **One last thing. I'm tossing around the idea of giving Tatsumi a harem. If I do, it will consist of the following; Akame, Leone, Mine, Chelsea, and maybe Sheele. I will NOT, under any circumstances, even consider including Esdeath. So give me your best shot!**

 **Other then that, be sure to leave a review. And thanks for reading!**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **EDIT- Seeing as how I am getting so many complaints about how Avalon wouldn't work, I have decided to create my own sword for the purpose of saving Sayo and Ieyasu. Don't worry, it won't be OP.**

 **(-)**

" _Thou art clad in steel and born of fire."_

 **(-)**

Things were starting to look up for Tatsumi. Despite getting swindled out of all his money by a big breasted blonde, he was fortunate enough to be taken in by Aria and her family. After hearing of his story of how he came to the capital in order to earn money to save his village, the family assured him that they would be able to help him out with their connections. What's more, they were also eager to help Tatsumi in locating his two missing friends. Tatsumi could hardly believe his luck! And to think, none of this would have happened if he wasn't swindled by those enormous boobs. Err... woman.

A bit of blood dripped from Tatsumi's nose as he recalled just how amazing that woman's chest was.

Sure, he had been put to work for Aria's family, performing menial labor and the like, but he was happy to be able to pay back the people that were kind enough to aid him.

As Tatsumi lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, he let a smile creep across his face. "Soon. Soon we'll be together again and then we'll save our village."

Shortly after, Tatsumi had fallen asleep. However he was in for a restless night. For upon falling asleep, he experienced some wierd and unsettling dreams.

It started out with a bang. His vision was awash with flames, the blazing heat and scorching fire threatening to burn him to a crisp.

' _What the hell is going on?!'_

Tatsumi tried to call out for help, but found that simply breathing in to talk caused him to inhale smoke and cough violently.

' _I need to get out of here!'_

He tried to move forward, but his body wouldn't budge.

' _Come on, MOVE damn it!'_

Finally, his body started to walk forward, albeit slowly. Tatsumi quickly came to a startling realization. He wasn't in control of his body. Sure, he tried to move and everything, but what he was telling his body to do didn't match up with its movements. It was almost as if he were a puppet. For now, all he could do was watch and endure as the blaze continued to burn. As his body continued forward, he could hear the sounds of the dying. People crying out for help, begging for a savior, praying to god for a miracle. However none of their pleas were answered. One by one the voices were snuffed out, either drowned out by the roar of the fire, or as a result of the person expiring.

It seemed like he was walking for ages, being forced to suffer through such a horrific event that seemed to drag on forever. Tatsumi would never forget this. The cries of agony, the smell of burning flesh, the sight of those unfortunate enough to meet their end. It was burned into his mind, just like the fire.

Eventually Tatsumi's body gave out and he collapsed to the ground. He could walk no longer. As he stared up at the sky, waiting for the end, he saw him. A man approaching. The man looked like he had been through the wringer, but it was still a welcome sight to Tatsumi. He was gonna be saved!

The man knelt down to look at Tatsumi, confirming that he was still alive.

"Thank god... Someone survived... Thank god..."

The look on the mans face was unlike anything Tatsumi had ever seen. The man, despite being surrounded by so much death and destruction, looked so relieved. So... happy... to see that he was alive.

Soon after Tatsumi's vision went black. When he opened his eyes again, he was in the middle of a battle with a man in a blue outfit of some sort. His blue hair was spiked upwards and in his hands was a menacing looking spear.

"So, we got an Archer who fancies himself a swordsman. What a joke." the man said before rushing Tatsumi.

Tatsumi's body moved on its own, blocking and parrying the spear wielder's strike with a pair of curved swords. The blue man moved with speed the likes of which Tatsumi had never seen before, but he was just as fast. Him and his opponent appeared as blurs, hands and blades moving about in a dance of death.

The battle continued for a while before Tatsumi and the blue man turned at the sound of a noise. What they saw was a red haired teen beyond a metal fence. The teen quickly ran off once he was spotted.

"Looks like we got ourselves a witness." stated the spear man. "And we all know what happens to witnesses." he said before taking off after the teen.

Tatsumi's vision went black again. What followed was a series of battles, each one more outrageous then the last. A battle against a giant man made of muscle, an encounter with ungodly creatures, a skirmish against robed assailants who were shooting beams of energy at him. It was all so unreal. The battles went on for what seemed like forever, Tatsumi simply watching as his body moved on its own.

Eventually the darkness encroached on his vision once more. But this time when he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of a man. Tatsumi couldn't make out his features as he was wreathed in shadows. But what he did see, were the mans steel grey eyes staring right at him.

" **Wake up."**

Tasumi shot up out of bed, drenched in a cold sweat. He grabbed at his chest, checking to see if his heart was still beating. Thankfully it was.

"What the fuck was that?" he asked between ragged breaths. The dream felt so real, but at the same time it was so unreal. He saw things, things that were so unbelievable that it had to be just a dream. Yet for some reason he felt as if that wasn't the case. That everything he saw had actually happened. But why did he see it? What was the reason behind this strange dream?

Unfortunately Tatsumi wouldn't have time to think on it as he sensed some major killing intent radiating nearby.

Jumping out of bed and throwing on his gear, Tatsumi ran down the halls in search of the source of the bloodlust. It didn't take him long. Stopping at a window, he looked outside to see five figures seemingly standing in midair with the moon to their backs.

"That's... Night Raid!" shouted Tatsumi. "They're targeting this place as well?! Just because they're wealthy?!"

He couldn't fathom why a group of assassins would target such kind people, but then again, they were assassins. They didn't need to justify their actions. They just killed for whatever reason they could come up with. Money, a grudge, or just for fun. It didn't matter. They were all scum.

"Damn it!" Tatsumi cursed as he looked back out the window to see several of the guards going out to fight.

' _Shit! Do I help them, or go protect Aria?!'_ Tatsumi thought as he watched in silent horror as the guards were quickly dispatched by the assassins. _'In one moment... Annihilated?! At the very least I have to protect Aria-san!'_ he thought as he grit his teeth and took off down the hall.

After a short search he found Aria along with the last guard who were heading towards a warehouse out back. "Aria! I finally found you!"

"Tatsumi!" shouted Aria.

"You came at just the right moment!" shouted the guard. "We'll run to the warehouse and wait for the guards to come! You hold them off in the meantime!"

"WHAAA?! That's crazy!" Tatsumi shouted, but turned around when he suddenly heard someone land behind him. It was one of the assassins he recognized from the wanted posters, Akame. "Argh! Damn it! I won't let you pass!" he said as he drew his sword.

The girl however, had no interest in him. "Not a target." she said monotonously as she jumped over Tatsumi and stepped on his shoulder to propel herself forward. She landed behind him and ran towards the guard.

"Fuck! She's coming this way!" The guard said as he raised his gun and fired.

However Akame was faster. She dodged out of the way of the bullets as she bore down on the guard. She slashed at him horizontally, cutting him cleanly in half.

Akame then approached the fallen Aria with her blade pointed at her. "Target, eliminate."

"Wait Damn it!" Tatsumi shouted as he lunged at Akame and slashed at her with his sword. She easily back stepped to avoid he strike and now Tatsumi stood in between her and Aria.

"You are not a target. There's no need to kill you." said Akame.

"But you're planning to kill this girl, right?!" shouted Tatsumi.

"Uh huh." Akame nodded.

"Uh huh?!" Tatsumi was somewhat caught off guard by her bluntness.

"I'll kill you if you get in the way, you know." she said stoically.

"Like I'd run because of that!" shouted Tatsumi as he leveled his sword at Akame.

"I see..." Akame said as she began to emit bloodlust. "Then I'll eliminate."

' _At the very least she's not someone who I can currently beat, but... I can't be worrying about that! Besides, there's no way a guy who can't save a single girl, could possibly save an entire village in the first place!'_ And with that thought Tatsumi rushed at Akame who in turn charged him as well.

The duo clashed swords before breaking apart from their stance. Akame was stronger then she looked and it showed with how far back Tatsumi was pushed. Tatsumi attempted to sweep at Akame's legs, but she jumped up instead and delivered a powerful kick to Tatsumi's shoulder. He recoiled in pain as she drove her blade forward in an attempt to skewer him.

As the sword grew ever closer to Tatsumi, aimed straight at his heart, time seemed to slow down. _'This can't be it! This is where I die?! I still haven't found my friends! I haven't saved my village! I can't die here!'_

" **Then use** _ **it**_ **."**

In the back of Tatsumi's mind, something came to the surface. He didn't know what it was or what it meant, but before he knew it he was already saying the words with his hand outstretched.

" _Rho Aias!"_

Suddenly, a pink, translucent shield shaped like a seven petaled flower appeared in front of Tatsumi and blocked Akame's attack. Her sword bounced harmlessly off the shield and she jumped back in alarm.

Tatsumi was just as alarmed as she was. How did he do that? Moments later the shield disappeared and there was a palpable silence between the two.

"So uh, don't try anything stupid unless you want more of that!" Tatsumi shouted, trying to sound intimidating.

"So you have a teigu. Interesting. But it changes nothing. You both will die here." Akame said as she readied herself for another lunge.

"Wait!" Tatsumi shouted. "If it's money you want we'll give it to you! Just let us go! We won't tell anyone we saw you."

"Declined. What I want is her dead." Akame stated as she pointed her sword at Aria.

"Over my dead body you assassin scum!" Tatsumi bit back in rage, his grip on his sword tightening. "There is no way in hell I'm gonna stand by and let you kill an innocent girl! Not while I still draw breath!"

"Very well. Rest in peace."

However much to Tatsumi's surprise, a familiar busty blonde had appeared and grabbed Akame by the collar. "Whoah there Akame. Cool your jets."

"What are you doing Leone?" asked Akame as she leaned back to look at Leone.

"We still have some spare time, right?" Leone asked as she looked up to Tatsumi and shot him a grin. "Besides, I kinda owe this kid. Let me pay him back."

Although her hair was now longer, there was no way in hell Tatsumi wasn't gonna recognize the pair of jiggling mounds that were attached to the womans chest.

"HEY! You're the big boobed-!" Tatsumi yelled when he recognized the woman.

"Yep! I'm the friendly onee-san from the other day." Leone said with a sickly sweet smile. She let go of Akame and walked towards the storage shed. "Listen kid, you were worried about us hurting an innocent girl right? Well then, allow me to show you just how 'innocent' this girl is." Leone said as she kicked the doors open. "Take a look kid. This is the darkness of the capital."

Tatsumi made his way over to the open doors and what he saw made his stomach turn. Dead and dying people everywhere. Instruments of torture lined the walls and tables covered in dry blood. The scent of death and decay hung heavy in the air. It was enough to make him sick.

"Wha... What is this?!" he shouted in horror.

"They lure unidentified people from the country here with their sweet words and then subject them to their hobby of torture and toy with them until they die." explained the blonde. "That is the true nature of those of this household."

As Tatsumi scanned the bodies that were hanging from the ceiling, his eyes stopped on one in particular. "Sayo... hey... Sayo..." he called out weakly.

"Tat... su... mi..." she responded weakly.

"So there was someone you knew."

"SAYO!" he shouted as he ran over and cut her down before cradling her in his arms.

Meanwhile Aria decided to try and sneak off.

"Nuh uh." The blonde said as she grabbed Aria by the shirt. "You're not getting off the hook by running away, little lady."

"The people of the house did this?" asked Tatsumi.

"That's right." answered the blonde. "The guards were keeping quiet about it so they were similarly guilty."

"It... It's a lie! I didn't know there was a place like this! Are you going to believe me, the one who saved you, or these guys Tatsumi!" Aria pleaded.

"Tatsumi... Tatsumi. That's you right? It's me..." came a voice from one of the cages.

"I... Ieyasu?!" shouted Tatsumi as he recognized his other friend.

"Tatsumi! That girl invited me and Sayo here! And after we ate dinner, we fell unconscious and when we woke up we found ourselves here! Th-that girl... She tortured Sayo! Arghh!" he then shouted as he grasped his chest in pain and fell to his knees.

"What's so wrong?" asked Aria as she struggled free from the blondes grasp. "You're just worthless hicks from the country right?! That's the same as cattle! I should be free to treat them however I want!" Aria said hysterically. "Besides, that girl was so impertinent for having such straight hair despite being a farm animal! Even though I'm troubled with such unruly hair! That's why I agonized her so meticulously! In fact, she should be grateful for how thorough I was with her!"

"They were just demons disguised as humans." snarled Leone. "Sorry for stopping you Akame."

"Eliminate." Akame said as she drew her sword.

"Wait." called Tatsumi.

"Don't tell me... are you trying to defend her again?" asked Leone.

"No." Tatsumi said as he approached Aria. "I'll kill her myself." he said coldly as he drew his sword and slashed across her chest, cutting her in half in the process.

"... Heh heh... That's my Tatsumi." Ieyasu said with a toothy grin before falling over. "I'm glad that in my final moments... I got to see that bitch die..."

Tatsumi ran over to Ieyasu who was coughing violently and vomiting blood. "What's wrong?!"

"He's in the final stages of Rubola disease. The lady of the house liked to inject her victims with drugs and then record the results for enjoyment." explained Akame. "I'm sorry, but there is no saving him."

"No... saving...?"

"No. It's to late for either of them."

"No..."

In that moment, something inside of Tatsumi's mind snapped. His vision went dark and he felt himself falling. He fell for what seemed like ages before he finally hit the ground, hard.

"Arghh..." he groaned as he slowly got up. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find that he was no longer in the torture shed, but rather on a hill. The sun was setting in the distance and painted the world with beautiful hues. However the hill he was on was nothing but beautiful. For it was a hill of swords.

Swords of all different types were scattered about either lying on the ground or stabbed into it and standing upright. What's more, they seemed to be converging on a single point towards the top of the hill. Tatsumi could faintly make out a figure at the top but didn't know who it was.

"Hello?" Tatsumi called out to the person as he stood and started walking towards them. However as he got closer something became apparent. The individual atop this hill of swords was dead. He had been impaled repeatedly by all manner of blade but still stood upright as if in defiance of death.

As Tatsumi neared he began to make out the features of the man. He had an angular face, tanned skin, and white hair despite his somewhat youthful appearance. He wore black armor of some sort with a red shroud covering him.

"Where the hell am I?" asked Tatsumi as he gazed at the dead man. "And who are you?"

Suddenly the dead mans eyes snapped open and stared at Tatsumi. "The better question is, who are you?"

"Gah! You're alive?!" screamed Tatsumi.

"Heh." the person gave a wry laugh. "No. I am long dead. You on the other hand are still alive."

"That doesn't really make me feel any more comfortable about this..." Tatsumi waved his arms about. "... Whatever this is."

"Ah yes. You must be wondering where you are right now." mused the man. "You are currently in your mindscape. And this is the deepest recess' of it. I have been waiting a long time for a traumatic enough event to weaken your mind so I could pull you in hear. It seems that your friends dying did the trick."

"Shut up!" roared Tatsumi. "They aren't dead!"

"No. But they will be soon." spoke the man coldly. "Tell me, who are you?"

"I'm Tatsumi."

 _I$# %^am$#$ #$ &^*t$#e^&$b&$#n*%sw$#! #%d_

Something tickled at the back of Tatumi's mind. Something familiar.

"Wrong." responded the man.

"What do you mean wrong?!" That's my name!"

"Yes. But it is not who you are. Do you want to save your friends?"

"What? Of course I want to save them!" shouted Tatsumi.

"Then tell me, who are you?"

"I'm Tatsumi!"

 _I #$%%am$^#% the%#$%$%ne &^$#$& ord%#_

"Wrong."

"Grr! What are you on about?! My name IS Tatsumi!"

"Yet it is not who you are. I would have thought my reincarnation would be more in tune with his true identity."

"Wait, your reincarnation?"

"Yes. You are my soul reborn. I won't go into the details just yet, but know that you have inherited a great power. Who are you?"

"Tatsumi!"

 _I !%#^ m$%^t#e #%$^ &%ne #!$word_

"And yet you aren't."

"Forget this! I have to save my friends!"

"And I'm trying to help you!" shouted the man. "But in order to do that you must remember who you are. Think back. Remember the feeling you get when you hold a sword. You have always been proficient with a blade even when you were young. There is a reason for that. Now take a deep breath and think."

Tatsumi did as instructed and focused his mind. He could feel it. Something calling out to him. A phrase?

"I will ask you one last time. Who are you?"

Tatsumi's eyes flashed open. However instead of emerald green, they were now steel grey.

"I am the bone of my sword."

 **(-)**

Tatsumi's eyes flashed open and he was back in the torture shed.

"Hey kid, we gotta go. And you're coming with us." spoke Leone as she shook Tatsumi's shoulder.

"Wait." he said. "I can save them."

"I already told you, it's too late for them."

Tatsumi then held his hand out in front of him.

" _Trace on."_

At the utterance of those two words a blue light began to gather in front of him. It formed into a short angular shape before the light receded which revealed a dagger. It was a beautiful mix of gold and silver coloring with indecipherable runes scrawled on it. The blade itself was made of gold, which made for a poor blade given how malleable it is.

"What the...?" breathed Leone. Akame too had widened her eyes in surprise at what Tatsumi had done.

Tatsumi then took the blade and nicked Ieyasu's chest and, much to the onlookers surprise, the boys wounds began to heal.

"What the hell is that? A teigu?"

"I don't know." answered Akame.

"Dividet Vulnera Curantis." answered Tatsumi. "It was a blade fashioned by a doctor during an age where plague ran rampant and caused the death of countless people. The dagger itself is not meant to be used as a weapon. Rather by cutting the body of someone, it has the ability to heal any wound, cure any disease, and purge any poison. However the blade will only work once per person."

"Impressive. So you had a teigu all along." said Leone.

"Something like that." Tatsumi spoke as he finished healing Ieyasu and moved on to Sayo.

Akame and Leone watched on in curiosity as all of Sayo's wounds were healed. Even her leg grew back. She along with Ieyasu were still unconscious, but they were no longer going to die.

Tatsumi then stood up and faced the assassins as the blade disappeared. "I need your help. My friends and I need a place to stay and recover. And seeing as how you're assassins and I've seen your faces, I'm willing to bet you won't let me just walk away from this."

"Hmm, kids smarter than I gave him credit for." mused Leone. "Akame, grab the girl. I'll take the boy." Leone said as she picked up Ieyasu. "Think you can keep up?" she asked Tatsumi.

Prana flowed into his legs as he reinforced them. "I think I can manage."

After a short run they happened upon the rest of the assassin group.

"So, you're finally back." said a walking suit of armor.

"It'd be bad if we didn't retreat soon." said the green haired teen as he held up a pocket watch.

"You're late! What were you doing?!" shouted a petite pink haired girl. "Wait, who are those three?" she asked, noticing the newcomers.

"A potential recruit and his friends." answered Leone.

"What?!" shouted pinky.

"Alright everyone. Mission complete! Let's return!" shouted Akame as the group disappeared into the night.


	2. Chapter 1v2

**A/N- This is not an actual chapter. I am simply posting this so that my story officially updates on the website for you all to see. I have changed the first chapter so be sure to go back and read it again and tell me what you think.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N- So, chapter 2. I managed to use my day off in a productive way (At least in my opinion) so I already have another chapter done. I hope I went about everything in an acceptable way. (You'll know what I mean)**

 **Just so you all know, Tatsumi is NOT going to be a carbon copy of Archer. His personality change will not be that drastic. I've seen reincarnation fics where it's basically; this person is reborn as this guy and now the original person is in control. You know, where it's basically the original person with a new appearance and a different name. This will NOT be like that. As I stated before, Archer will basically be Archer-sensei to Tatsumi.**

 **I have also made a change to the first chapter. Seeing as how I'm still getting complaints about Avalon, I have chosen to remove it entirely and replace it with a sword of my own creation. Don't worry, it isn't an OP blade.**

 **In regards to teigu and the UBW; As long as it is at some point a bladed weapon, Tatsumi can recreate it. For example; Incurio's base form is a sword with a chain attached, so Tatsumi can trace that.**

 **Also, in this chapter I had Tatsumi make a really (In my opinion) good speech. But I am concerned if it might be too OOC for him right now. Tell me what you think and maybe I'll remove it.**

 **Other then that, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Be sure to leave a review!**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

It was late at night when Tatsumi and Night Raid arrived back at their base. Most of the veteran assassins were surprised to see that Tatsumi was able to keep up with them. Truly he would make for an excellent addition to their group. Once they were back at base, they took the unconscious bodies of Sayo and Ieyasu to the infirmary to rest.

"I can't thank you enough for your help." Tatsumi said with a bow.

"It was no problem kid. I'm sure you'll be able to pay us back in one way or another." spoke Leone. "But for now, we should probably get some rest. We got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I'll give you a proper introduction to the gang then. Now come on, I'll lead you to your room."

Leone led Tatsumi through the base. It was quite large despite the fact that there seemed to be so few members to occupy it. A part of Tatsumi's mind was mapping out the base, coming up with escape routes and looking for any security weaknesses. He didn't know why or how he was able to do this, he just did. Almost as if it was second nature to him. In fact, he had almost no idea what he had done earlier to save Sayo and Ieyasu. His body seemed to move on its own, speaking words he just conveniently knew. Just how was he able to summon that dagger? How did he know what it did? And what was this prana stuff? He had instinctually applied it to his legs in order to reinforce them and allow him to move faster, but he was still in the dark about it. Perhaps the white haired man would know more. He needed to find a way to contact him again.

"And this will be your room."

Tatsumi was snapped from his musings when he heard Leone speak up and point to the door in front of him.

"Bathroom is down the hall to the left. If you need anything, my room is that one." she said as she pointed to the door across from Tatsumi's.

"Thanks. I think I'll be fine though. Goodnight." Tatsumi said as he opened the door to his room and headed inside.

The room was rather spartan. Only a bed, a desk, and a closet being the most notable features. A small nightstand that had a lamp atop it was next to the bed, and the single window on the far wall allowed for moonlight to stream in. The teen placed his things down against the wall, not too far out of reach should something happen. Hopping into the bed, he stared up at the ceiling, trying to piece together just what had happened earlier.

The seemingly kind family that took him in were actually sadistic monsters, and according to Night Raid, the capital was full of them. Tatsumi was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that the assassins were actually the good guys, eliminating the corruption that ran deep in that foul city.

Then there was the whole thing with the mysterious man and the powers he had displayed.

"Man, I could really go for an explanation right about now." Tatsumi groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

" **Well, if you can stay up for a little while longer, I may be able to enlighten you about a few things."**

Tatsumi shot up out of bed. "Who said that?!" he looked around frantically, but his room was empty.

" **Quiet down. If you start screaming then they'll come running in here and think you're crazy for talking to empty air."**

Tatsumi felt that he recognized the voice. It was the mysterious man from the hill of swords. "What? But where are you?"

" **I'm in your mind of course. Don't tell me you couldn't figure it out after our first meeting. I can't believe my reincarnation is this dimwitted."**

"Well, forgive me for not being some kind of genius." Tatsumi grumbled.

" **And you can stop talking aloud. I can hear your thoughts through a mental link. Of course, if you want people to think you have some kind of imaginary friend, then by all means, continue speaking to me as such."**

' _Has anyone ever told you you're a bit of a jerk?'_

" **I have long since stopped caring about what others think of me. All I am here to do is simply act as your guide. How I go about it, I care not. I will be your support in the coming conflicts whether you like it or not. So do your best to stay alive. I would hate for the power you inherited from me to go to waste."**

' _Power I inherited?'_

 **The voice sighed. "We've already been over this. You are my reincarnation. As such, you are in possession of my powers."**

' _Okay... And just what would those powers be?'_

" **An excellent question. Allow me to explain. Are you aware of the concept of magic?"**

' _What? You mean like card tricks? Or do you mean being able to conjure fire and stuff?'_

" **The latter. By your standards, you would refer to what I can do as magic. Although that is not the correct term for it, it is simpler to just refer to it as such. At least that way I don't have to go through long winded explanations of the different types. That was more of my friends forte."**

' _Magic? You mean REAL magic?!'_

" **Essentially. Like I said, it is not actually called magic, but for now we shall refer to it as such."**

' _So, I inherited your ability to use magic?'_

" **Correct. However what you can do is limited."**

' _What do you mean?'_

" **You won't be shooting fire from your hands anytime soon, or at all for that matter. You see, I was only ever able to use 2 forms of magic. Tracing and Reinforcement."**

' _Tracing and Reinforcement? What's that.'_

" **Reinforcement is just what it sounds like. You can reinforce materials to make them stronger. However I had used Reinforcement in a different way. I used it to reinforce my body. By doing so, I was able to make myself stronger and faster than the average human. It can also be used to enhance your senses."**

' _So, Earlier when I used... prana?'_

" **Correct."**

' _Prana, to reinforce my legs, it's what allowed me to move faster?'_

" **Yes. I was able to help you unconsciously know what to do. Think of it like this; You're taking a test that you haven't studied for. Time is running out and you still haven't answered a single question. Then all of a sudden, the genius kid next to you takes your test sheet and fills out all the answers for you. A second ago you didn't know a single thing, you still don't understand the answers, but now you know what they are."**

' _Cool! That's so awesome!'_

" **Heh, I suppose it is. However, though your body unconsciously knew what to do then, doesn't mean it will be able to do it again. You have all the knowledge, but now you need to figure out how to reach the answer."**

' _Okay. So what you're saying is that although I have access to all your powers, I still need to figure out how to use them?'_

" **Hmpf, you catch on surprisingly fast. Perhaps you aren't such a dullard."**

' _Hey!'_

" **But either way, we seem to have gotten off topic. As I was saying; I can use 2 types of magic. I explained Reinforcement, now for Tracing."**

' _Is Tracing how I created that dagger?'_

" **Yes. Tracing is my personal form of Projection which allows me to create blades among other things. The process has 7 steps to it; Judging the concept of creation. Hypothesizing the basic structure. Duplicating the composition material. Imitating the skill of its making. Sympathizing with the experience of its growth. Reproducing the accumulated years. And excelling every manufacturing process. Put it all together and you get the finished product."**

' _So I can basically create whatever I want?'_

" **Not exactly. You can only create things that you already seen, as you require the 'blueprint' of it in order to know how to make it. My specialty is swords and the like, so as such yours will be the same. Sure you can create mundane things like a table, but they really have no use in battle. Plus it's just easier to get the real thing."**

' _What do you mean I need to see the 'blueprint' in order to create something?'_

" **It's exactly what it sounds like. You ask a blacksmith to create a sword simply based on name alone. He needs to know what it looks like, what it's description is."**

' _So unless I get the exact blueprint of something then I can't create it? That sucks.'_

" **You truly have no appreciation for just how much work goes into this. But because you're my reincarnation, you have a bit of a boon. As long as you have laid eyes on a sword, you can create it."**

' _Really?'_

" **In fact, you will understand everything there is to know about the sword. Its history, how it was created, who its wielder was, everything."**

' _That sounds pretty useful.'_

" **And lucky for you, you will have access to all of the weapons I've seen."**

' _All right!'_

" **Just do me a favor. Keep me and all this a secret. At least for now. From what I understand, either magic users are kept a secret, or there are no others. So it would be prudent to keep quiet about it."**

' _Okay. But these guys are gonna start asking questions soon. What do I tell them?'_

" **They seem to have mistaken your abilities for something called a 'teigu'. Go with that for now."**

' _Sounds like a plan.'_

" **Indeed. There is more I need to tell you, but that can wait for another time. For tonight, I shall allow you to sleep in peace."**

' _What do you mean?'_

" **From here on out, every night you fall asleep, I shall have you dream of my battles in order for you to gain experience. And if you're lucky, I just might pull you in to train with me personally. How lucky you are."**

' _Wait!'_

" **What is it now?"**

' _I never got your name.'_

" **Hmm, I have long since forsaken my name and what it stood for. But if you must refer to me as something, you may call me... Archer."**

' _Alright. Thanks Archer.'_

And with that, the mental link was severed. Tatsumi lay back down on his bed and stared at the ceiling again.

"This is gonna be so wicked." he said with a grin.

Meanwhile, deep in his mind, Archer sighed.

 **(-)**

The next morning Tatsumi woke up and the first thing he did was head to the infirmary to check on Sayo and Ieyasu. When he arrived, he was disappointed to see that they were still unconscious. It was only natural given how traumatic the experience was for them. Tatsumi pulled up a chair at sat at their bedsides, his hands clasped together in prayer.

' _Is there anything we can do to wake them up?'_ Tatsumi asked through his mental link.

" **No. We've done all we can. Now it's in their hands."**

Tatsumi continued to sit in silence for a while, watching the rise and fall of his friends chests. Suddenly he felt a large amount of weight placed on top of his head. It was big and surprisingly soft.

"Whaa!" Tatsumi shouted as he fell backwards out of his seat, the back of his head hitting the ground. Looking up he saw Leone grinning at him. He had a hunch as to what she had placed on his head. "What're you doing all of a sudden?!" he asked as he rubbed his head.

"Don't keep sulking." Leone scolded. "They're gonna be fine. They just need time to wake up is all. The both of them are pretty lucky all things considered. If you didn't have that teigu then they'd most likely be dead."

"... You're right. I can't keep worrying about them. They would want me to carry on and save our village." Tatsumi said as he got up from the ground.

"Good!" Leone smiled as she gave Tatsumi a thumbs up. "So, have you made your decision to become a part of Night Raid?"

"I... don't know." he answered unsure. "I don't like the idea of killing people. I only killed Aria because of what she did."

Leone threw an arm around Tatsumi and pulled him close to her chest, her massive boobs pressing against his face causing him to blush. "I think you have a talent for murder though~." she said as she poked Tatsumi on the nose. "Onee-san guarantees it."

"I'm not wavering because of talent and such..." he mumbled quietly as his gaze drifted away from Leone's.

Seeing this, Leone put Tatsumi in a headlock and proceeded to drag him out of the infirmary. "Well, at any rate, I'll show you around the hideout today!"

"Guh! M-my neck!"

"By the way, this is in the mountains 10 km north of the capital."

"Didn't you hear me?! You're strangling me!" Tatsumi yelled as he tried to struggle free from Leone's grasp.

It was an utterly futile endeavor. And Tatsumi would never admit that he enjoyed being pressed up against her Leone's boobs the entire time.

" **Heh, looks like my reincarnation is gonna have just as much women troubles as I did."**

Arriving in the meeting room, Tatsumi noticed it was empty save for a single woman. she was a busty purple haired woman who wore glasses and a revealing purple cheongsam. A small scar marred her otherwise beautiful face. In her hands was a book that she was reading. However upon noticing Tatsumi and Leone she put it down.

"That there is Sheele." Leone said. "Say hi to her."

"Uhh, hi. My name is Tatsumi." Tatsumi said as he raised his hand to wave.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Tatsumi." Sheele said as she lowered her head slightly in a bow. "So, have you decided to join Night Raid yet?"

"Not exactly." answered Tatsumi.

"Mind giving him some warm words of encouragement Sheele?" asked Leone.

"Hmm." Sheele hummed as she pursed her lips. "In the first place, you know the location of our hideout. So you will be killed if you don't join us you know."

"Wow, that was so warm I'm starting to sweat." spoke Tatsumi with a deadpanned expression.

"You really should consider joining. I can tell you will be good at the job and it will be nice to have some new faces around here." Sheele said as she returned her focus to the book in her hands.

Tatsumi leaned in to see just what the book was that had her full attention. _'A Hundred Ways to fix Airheadedness? Great, this is a gathering of weirdos ain't it?'_ he thought.

"Hey!" came a piercing scream that drew the groups attention. They turned to see the petite pink haired girl from last night. She wore _so_ much pink and even had long pink hair tied in twintails. "Wait a second Leone! What do you think you're doing showing our hideout to such a sketchy person?!"

"Sketchy?" questioned Tatsumi.

"Well I figured I would show him around since he'll be joining us." answered Leone.

"I said no such thing!" shouted Tatsumi.

"What?! You can't seriously be suggesting we let this ruffian join us, can you?!" screeched pinky.

"Yeah. I mean, he's got the skills, so why not?"

"You haven't gotten the bosses permission, have you?!" the pink haired girl then whipped her head around to face Tatsumi. She looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze which Tatsumi began to sweat under before speaking again. "Not qualified. It doesn't seem like he'll be able to work with professionals like us. I can tell all that just from looking at his face." she said before storming off.

" **Great. Another Rin."**

"What?! Listen here you little-" Tatsumi started after her, but was stopped when Leone grabbed his arm.

"Trust me, it's not worth it. Mine is like that to everyone so don't take it personally. Come on, I'll introduce you to Bulat next." Leone said as she led Tatsumi through Night Raid's base. Eventually the duo ended up at the training grounds near the edge of the base. As Leone led Tatsumi through the training grounds and pointed out the various equipment, they could hear the sound of someone vigorously training. "This area over here is the stress release area. And that over there," Leone said as she pointed to a large shirtless man who was visciously swinging around a massive spear. "the man who looks like he clearly reeks of sweat and testosterone is Bulat."

"Amazing... what ferocious spear handling." gaped Tatsumi as he watched the mans graceful yet devastating movements.

The man then halted his training and slammed his spear into the ground and grabbed a nearby towel to wipe off his sweat with. "Ah Leone, good to see you." he said in a cheery tone. "And... oh yes, you are the one from last night."

"Umm, I'm sorry, but we've never met." said Tatsumi. He sure as hell would've recognized someone with a heart-shaped pompadour.

"Hmm? Ah yes. This is your first time seeing me like this." Bulat said with a chuckle. "I was the man covered in armor last night. Remember?"

"Ah, oh! That was you?!" Tatsumi exclaimed.

"Indeed!" Bulat said with a thumbs up. "So tell me, who are you?"

"Oh! I'm Tatsumi." he said as he held out his hand to shake Bulat's, but was surprised by just how strong the mans grip was.

"The name's Bulat! Nice to meet you!" he said as he vigorously shook Tatsumi's hand.

"Careful Tatsumi. He's gay." whispered Leone which shocked Tatsumi.

"Hey now." said Bulat with a wave as a blush graced his face. "He'd misunderstand, right?" the seemingly flowery aura behind him was helping his case.

' _Deny it for me, please!'_ Tastsumi began to slowly back away from Bulat until he bumped into Leone. "Please get us out of here." he whispered.

"I think I'll introduce you to Lubbock next." Leone said as she began to rub her chin. "Now where would that pervert be?" she then realized the time and immediately knew where to look. "Of course, he would be there."

After a short trek through the woods the two of them happened upon a spring that Leone said was her usual bathing spot. She also said that if Tatsumi ever tried to peep on her she would pound him inside out. Just like she was about to do to the man crouching in the bushes in front of them.

"It's almost Leone's bath time." the green clad teen said with a perverted grin, completely unaware of the danger behind him. "The danger is totally worth it for the chance to see those amazing tits."

"Hmm, perhaps I should break your arm this time then. Maybe that way you will remember the consequences." Leone said as she stepped on Lubbock's back and grab his arm and began to pull.

"GAAAAAAHHHH!" he howled in pain as he felt his arm begin to pop out of its socket.

"You never seem to learn Lubbock." Leone chastised as she ground her boot into his back.

"Fuck! I can still carry on!" Lubbock exclaimed as he frantically struggled underneath Leone's boot.

"Then I guess I'll just have to break both arms." Leone said darkly as she returned her attention to Tatsumi. "This here pervert is Lubbock. Say hello."

"Hello pervert." Tatsumi said with a deadpanned expression.

"I am not a pervert! I just have a healthy interest in the female body!" he argued.

"So do most perverts." reasoned Leone. She then suddenly picked Lubbock up by his jacket and chucked him into the water.

Lubbock then emerged from the river, completely soaked and raging. "I will gaze upon those wonderful breasts one day Leone! This I swear!" he shouted as he dragged his soaking form out of the river.

"He wishes." Leone said smugly as she crossed her arms.

"Alright! The next person you sorta met already, but let's hold a proper introduction. She should be... at the riverbed maybe?" Leone said as she led Tatsumi upriver.

"I've kind of had enough of this for the day." groaned Tatsumi.

"Aha, ha, ha! The next person is a pretty girl, so you can look forward to it~." as they got closer, the scent of grilled something or other filled the air along with some smoke. "Ah see, there's Akame! Ain't she cute?" Leone asked as she pointed to the nearby girl.

Tatsumi's eyes widened when he saw the massive creature that was roasting over a roaring fire in front of the seated girl. "I-is that an evilbird she's eating?" he asked as he stared at the large danger beast in awe. "Did she kill it all by herself?"

"Despite how she may look, Akame grew up in the wild." Leone explained as she approached. "Something like this is nothing for her."

"You should eat too Leone." Akame said as she tossed the busty blonde a piece of meat.

"Thanks Akame!" Leone cheered before taking a large bite out of the meat.

"So... have you joined our group yet?" asked Akame as she addressed Tatsumi as she held out some more meat.

"No..."

"Then I can't be giving this meat to you." she said as she started eating the chunk of meat at a rapid pace.

' _I don't want any!'_

"What a shame Tatsumi." Leone said as she continued to eat her food.

"By the way..." Tatsumi started as he rubbed the back of his head, his face slightly flushed. "I want to apologize Akame."

The girl turned to face him again, a bone sticking out of her mouth. She spat the bone into a nearby pile. "Whatever for?"

"Last night, I called you some awful things. You were the good guy in the whole ordeal, but I just viewed you as a monster since you were an assassin. I was foolishly trying to stop you from administering justice, and for that I'm sorry." Tatsumi said with a bow.

Akame's eyes widened ever so slightly along with Leone's.

"It's alright." Akame spoke quietly. "You were just doing what you thought was right."

"' **I'm the one who's right'. It's for that reason that we constantly have conflict. Everyone thinks that they're in the right and that everyone else is wrong."**

"By the way Akame, aren't you being a little extravagant today?" asked Leone.

"The boss is back." Akame said as she pointed to the other side of the fire.

Sure enough there was another woman present who had a mechanical right arm.

"Yo!" the woman said as she waved at the group.

"Welcome back boss! Do you have any souvenirs~?" asked Leone as she made her way over to the woman.

"Putting that aside Leone..." the boss started darkly. "In the last mission you had, you went over the operation limit, didn't you?" she asked as she began clenching her mechanical hand.

' _Not good!'_ thought Leone as she instantly turned tail and ran.

The boss aimed her mechanical arm at Leone's shoulder and activated some type of firing sequence. The hand of her arm shot out, still attached to the limb by a wire, and grabbed Leone's shoulder.

"AIEEEEE!" screamed Leone as the limb reeled her back in, a loud screeching noise being made as it did so.

"It's not good to enjoy fighting with a strong enemy too much." the boss scolded. "Do something to fix that habit of yours."

"I got it, so stop that screeching sound!" Leone begged as she covered her ears.

The hand released Leone and retracted back to the boss. "By the way, who's the kid?" she asked as she pointed at Tatsumi.

"Oh!" Leone jumped up and quickly stood behind Tatsumi, putting him between her and the boss. "That's right boss! I recommend this talented guy as a new recruit!"

"Hey! Stop volunteering me for crap!"

"Does he show promise?" the boss asked.

"He does. He even has a teigu."

The boss' visible eye widened at this. She then smirked. "Excellent."

"Don't I get a say in this?!"

"Come on Tatsumi, just give it a try!" Leone said as she smacked him on the back.

"What is this, a part time job?!"

"The wage is high too." added Akame.

"It _is_ a part time job!"

Tatsumi continued to rage and complain whilst the boss watched him with a calculating gaze. She then got up and threw on her jacket. "Akame." she called out.

The girl in question turned to her.

"Gather everyone in the meeting room. I want to hear the results of the previous operation. In detail, including about this young boy."

 **(-)**

"I see..." said the boss as she rubbed her chin. Currently all of the Night Raid members had gathered in the meeting room and had just finished their debrief on the last mission. "I understand the situation completely." spoke the silver haired woman as she turned her eyes to Tatsumi and extended her hand. "Tatsumi, how would you like to join our organization? We won't kill you if you choose to decline, however you will be made to work in our workshop until our mission is complete."

"I... originally planned to come to the capital and make it big in order to save my village which is suffering in poverty." Tatsumi said as he clenched his fists. "But even the capital is rotten to the core..." he said as he sighed and hung his head.

"The countryside is filled with poverty and suffering because the center of the empire is rotting. With us, you can uproot the source of the rot yourself. As a man!" Bulat said with a grin.

"Bulat was originally a skilled imperial soldier." said the boss. "But when he learned of the empires corruption, he defected and became one of us."

"After all, it is our duty to eliminate those evildoers in the capital. It is much better than working under them." Bulat added.

"Night Raid is the perfect fit for you Tatsumi." the boss said, causing Tatsumi to quirk an eyebrow. "You see, far to the south of the capital lies the hideout of the anti-empire fighting force, the Revolutionary Army."

"The Revolutionary Army?" exclaimed Tatsumi.

"The Revolutionary Army, which started out small, has grown into a large scale organization by now. Then, inevitably, a unit to handle covert jobs such as assassinations and information gathering was formed. That unit would be us. Night Raid. Right now we are exterminating the worms that are festering in the capital. But when the time comes and the Revolutionary army attacks, we will use the chaos and confusion created by it to kill the Prime Minister!" the boss shouted as she clenched her fist. "He is our main target. There are others, but I'll leave them out for now. Although I can't say anything specific about when the Revolutionary Army will rise to action, just know that they have a plan to win when it happens. And when that time comes, we will change this country for the better."

"This new country, it will treat its subjects with kindness and fairness, correct?" asked Tatsumi.

"Of course it will." the boss said with a nod of her head.

"I see..." Tatsumi said as he raised his head. "The killing you are doing is to get rid of the bad guys who are plaguing the capital, so you guys are like assassins of justice right!" he said ecstatically.

The room began to fill with the giggles of the Night Raid assassins.

"What? Did I say something funny?" asked Tatsumi.

" **Take a good look around you kid. Everyone here is a murderer. Dress it up as much as you want, killing is still killing. There isn't any justice in that. Anybody here could die at any time as a form of retribution for their crimes. It is only the victors who decide what is right and wrong. And we are far from being the victors."**

"I see." Tatsumi said quietly with his head hanging down ever so slightly so hat his bangs shadowed his eyes. "But still!" his head raised up and there was a fire burning in his steel grey eyes. "We may be criminals now, but when the day comes that we are victorious, even if we are still shunned and hated, we can hold our heads high and shout 'We did it! Yes, we did some horrible things that we can never be redeemed for, but we regret not a single choice we made! For we willingly chose to become the necessary evil! We bare the stigma of assassins, but it was all worth it, for it is our sacrifice that will open a new more brighter path to the future! We need no thanks, because your happiness is thanks enough!'" Tatsumi continued his speech which was garnering him quite a few looks. "Even if we are remembered as monsters, even if we are erased from history itself, even if we become nothing more than dust... we can die with a smile on our faces. We will die with the knowledge that we made a difference, a change for the better. Hero, villain, none of these titles matter. As long as our actions save others, then we will be heros to ourselves!" he then placed his fist over his heart. "Call yourselves whatever you want, but I WILL call you by what you are. Heros."

" **... It seems I have quite the interesting reincarnation."**

The room was quiet for a few moments before the boss took a drag from her cigarette. "Well kid, I don't quite know what's gotten into you, but that was one hell of a speech. Everyone here has a reason for fighting but they are prepared to face the consequences. Can you say the same? Will you still follow down this path now knowing what awaits you? Can you become the necessary monster that is shunned and hated by those you help? There is no true reward at the end of this path. Just a painful death and an unmarked grave."

"... Will I be payed?" asked Tatsumi.

"Yes. If you work properly you should be able to save your hometown or thereabout." answered the boss.

"Then that settles it!" Tatsumi shouted. "I will join Night Raid, and I will save my village, and everyone else!"

"You might not be able to return to your village ever again." Mine pointed out.

"That's fine with me. As long as everyone in the village can be happy through my actions."

"It's decided then." the boss said as she extended her hand. "Welcome to our hellish path Tatsumi."

' _This is it. No going back now.'_

"So, Leone tells me that you have a teigu." spoke the boss.

"What's a teigu?" Tatsumi asked without thinking.

" **You idiot."**

' _What?'_

" **You just established that you don't know what a teigu is. Now they're going to be suspicious."**

' _Crap.'_

"Urghh!" groaned Mine. "This stupid country boy doesn't even know what a teigu is and yet he has one. Truly he must have idiots luck."

"Hey!" shouted Tatsumi.

"Well, seeing as how you are not aware of just what you posses, I shall enlighten you." the boss started.

" **You got lucky that pinky deflected that."**

' _Yeah, yeah, yeah.'_

"A thousand years ago, the first emperor who founded this country began to worry. He gathered raw materials from danger beasts, rare metals like olihalcon, and the greatest craftsmen were brought in from every corner of the world. Because of the emperor's unparalleled authority and immense financial power... he created 48 weapons that cannot possibly be forged again, even today... And he named them teigu." the boss then gestured to Akame who raised her sword up.

"This is an example of a teigu." she said as she unsheathed the blade.

As soon as Tatsumi saw the blade, his mind was assaulted by a massive influx of information. In but a single moment, he knew every single detail about the sword. It was called Murasame. The blade itself contains a poison curse that is guaranteed to kill whatever it strikes. Tatsumi knew every single person who ever wielded it, from its creation to its current owner.

" **Hmm, quite the dangerous blade. I'd say it qualifies as a Noble Phantasm."**

' _What's that?'_

" **Something that's above your current mental capacity."**

Before Tatsumi could continue his internal argument with Archer, Najenda had continued her explanation.

"Each teigu is incredibly powerful. Some of them even grant you the strength and power of a ferocious beast or a mighty warrior. The emperor's soldiers who were granted teigus, became the greatest fighters in the land... But five hundred years ago there was a massive civil war, and nearly half of the teigu were lost or stolen, being scattered across the land... And that's about the entire story."

"Okay, so they're basically cool super weapons." Tatsumi surmised.

"Something like that. Which begs the question, which teigu do you have?"

"Like I said, I didn't even know what a teigu was before now. How am I supposed to recognize one?" asked Tatsumi.

"Do you have anything on you that might seem special? Anything that has a vague history to it?"

" **Well? Do you?"**

' _No! What do I do now?!'_

" **Improvise. Pull out your sword and repeat what I tell you."**

Tatsumi took his sword off his back and held it in front of him. "The only thing I can think of would be this. I was given this sword as a gift that my parents left me. It doesn't look like much, but I guess it's just unassuming."

The group of assassins looked at the blade with a scrutinizing gaze. Externally, Tatsumi looked fine, Internally, he was sweating bullets.

' _Please buy it. Please buy it. Please buy it.'_

"Hmm, I guess that's the best we have to go on for now." Najenda said with a shrug. "But I expect you to figure out just what it is capable of. We need you in top condition if you're joining us."

"Understood." responded Tatsumi.

"Now," she started as she pulled out a book. "This book contains a list of all the known teigu. I expect you to memorize them all. If our opponents our in possession of one then this just might save your life." she then handed the book to Tatsumi.

Suddenly a loud grinding sound was heard coming from Lubbock. The source was the device on top of his gloves. "Najenda-san! We got incoming intruders!" the green haired teen shouted.

The boss sighed in annoyance. "How many are there?" she asked as she rested her head on her hand.

"According to my barrier wires, at least eight people!" answered Lubbock hastily. "They've all gotten really close to our hideout!"

Najenda took out a pack of cigarettes and popped another one in her mouth. "They're good. To sniff out our secret base must mean that they are mercenaries of one of the tribal groups." she said as she pulled out a lighter and lit up her cigarette. "They leave us no choice. This is an emergency sortie. Don't let any of them leave alive." At her words the entire room's atmosphere changed and was filled with killing intent. "GO!" she ordered, signaling for the group of assassins to begin their assault.

"H-huh!" Tatsumi stuttered out as he dumbly watched the Night Raid assassins disperse.

"Oi! What are you spacing out for kid?!" shouted Najenda as she smacked Tatsumi upside the head. "It's time for your first real battle. Now get out there! Prove to me that you have what it takes to join Night Raid!"

"Right!" Tatsumi yelled as he took off after the assassins. _'Time to show them what I'm made of!'_

 **(-)**

"Bulat-san!" Tatsumi called out as he sprinted to catch up with the large man. "Wait up!"

"Huh?!" Bulat exclaimed as he turned to see Tatsumi following him, surprised by the fact. "Oh Tatsumi! Do you wish to join me?"

"Yes!" Tatsumi shouted having finally caught up with Bulat. "This is my chance to prove my worth to everyone. So please, allow me to join you!"

"That's the spirit Tatsumi!" Bulat said with a massive grin. "Also, call me aniki or handsome!"

"Okay aniki! Man, it actually feels good to say that!" Tatsumi cheered at Bulat's new nickname.

"Feels good to be called it as well!" said Bulat as the duo continued to rush through the forest before abruptly stopping. "Here, I'll show you something cool as a reward! Take a few steps back." Bulat instructed and Tatsumi did as he was told. Bulat then touched his hand to the ground and shouted. "INCURSIOOOOO!"

Tatsumi watched in awe with wide eyes as a set of armor began to form around Bulat's body. It was the same set of armor that Bulat had worn when Tatsumi first encountered him. "Whoah! That's fucking awesome!"

"I know right?" Bulat said as he jabbed a thumb at his chest. "This is the teigu Incursio."

Bulat needn't even say its name. As soon as Tatsumi saw it, he knew everything about it. Its true form is a sword which turns into the armor. The armor can turn invisible among other things, as the armor was built to constantly evolve. That was the nature of the beast that was used to forge it. The Tyrant.

"Alright Tatsumi, right now we have a job to do. Now I will tell you your first job. It's important, alright?"

"R-right!"

"You think you can handle it?" asked Bulat.

"Hell yeah! I'm ready for anything!" Tatsumi said as he pumped his fist upward.

 **(-)**

' _This is complete bullshit. How am I supposed to prove myself if I'm on guard duty? I should be out there fighting the enemy.'_ Tatsumi thought as he lay hidden in the bushes that Bulat had pointed out.

" _Listen; if the enemy were to run away then there is a large possibility that they may come through here. If that happens, even slowing them down is okay. Just do whatever it takes to fight back and show no mercy."_

Tatsumi remembered what Bulat had said to him earlier as he lay in wait. _'They aren't taking me seriously.'_

" **No, they're giving you an easy job in order to gauge your strength. They don't want you dying on your first mission."**

' _Tch, still seems like I drew the short straw.'_ Tatsumi's eyes widened when he heard a rustling in the bushes and readied himself for combat, but immediately deflated when he saw that it was just a rabbit that hopped out. _'Gonna kill that rabbit for getting me hyped up.'_

"Man, this waiting is totally boring. Can't they just hurry up and-" before Tatsumi could even finish his sentence, a large tribal warrior came bursting out of the foliage and came to a skidding halt when he noticed Tatsumi.

"Hah! So they have guards stationed out here as well." spoke the mercenary as he drew his blade.

Tatsumi got up and drew his own sword as well. "I cannot let you pass!" Tatsumi shouted to the man.

The man grinned wickedly in response. "Feel free to try and stop me."

' _Here it is. I have to kill someone I have no resentment against.'_ Tatsumi thought as he leveled his blade. _'But if I hesitate here, I'll die.'_

" **This will be your first real kill. Aria didn't count because you were driven by anger and you lashed out at her using pure instinct. This time you will be consciously killing someone."**

' _Any advice for how to deal with it? A way to make it easier?'_

" **In my opinion, there is no way to make killing easier. I have always done my best to avoid killing if at all possible. But that was a long time ago. The best advice I can give you is to not think of him as a person. If you humanize him you will hesitate, and in battle that means death. Think of him as nothing more then a wild animal. Shouldn't be too hard given the pelt he's wearing."**

' _Alright, I'll try my best.'_

"Even though you are just a boy, don't expect me to hold back."

The two enemies stared each other down, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Tatsumi ended up being the one to take initiative and decided to strike first. He lunged forward, his grip on his sword tightening. Once Tatsumi got close enough, the mercenary swung his blade. Tatsumi easily parried the swing and proceeded to slash the tribesman across the chest. He fell backwards and landed on the ground, blood profusely spurting out of the gash across his chest as he roared in pain.

"How was that you bastard? These are the skills... that I refined alongside Sayo and Ieyasu!" shouted Tatsumi.

"Please... have mercy... my village... they're suffering... I need to return to my family..." the mercenary pleaded.

Tatsumi hesitated for a moment. _'He's just like me. Trying to save his village.'_

" **Finish him."**

' _But-'_

" **It's a trick! Kill him now!"**

Tatsumi looked down to see the mercenary reaching for his blade.

"Not happening!" he shouted as he plunged his sword into the mans neck. "I can't afford to hesitate. Not when everyone is counting on me. I swore I would do my best."

Tatsumi then turned when he heard someone land behind him. He spun around with sword drawn, but relaxed when he saw it was Akame. "Impressive. I'm glad to see you are still in one piece." she spoke in monotone.

"I wasn't going to let this piece of trash take me down." Tatsumi said as he gestured to the dead body. "I have people waiting for me to return alive."

"Well, you did good. To not fall for the enemies ploy show's that you truly have what it takes. This is not a line of work where mercy can be afforded." explained Akame.

"I know." Tatsumi said as he sheathed his sword. "That is all the difference it makes between life and death."

"Correct. You must not hesitate in the slightest. The final blow has to be swift and decisive." Akame said as she briefly gazed at the dead mercenary.

"HIYA!" Akame and Tatsumi turned to see Bulat burst through the trees next to them. "The enemy came running over here right?! Leave them to me!"

"It's already over." spoke Akame as she pointed her blade at the dead body.

"Oh. Good work Akame." said Bulat.

"Wasn't me." she said as she pointed to Tatsumi.

"Really?" Bulat asked in a slightly surprised tone to which Akame nodded in affirmation. "Well then, good job Tatsumi!" Bulat said with a thumbs up. "Now that the enemy has been taken care of it is time to return to the base."

 **(-)**

Back at the Night Raid base the group was holding a celebration for a job well done of defending their base. Much revelry was had and somehow a drinking contest had started between Bulat and Leone. The rest of the assassins watched and cheered on the duo as they downed one mug after another.

Seeing as how the contest wouldn't be ending anytime soon, Najenda decided to have a word with Tatsumi.

"I must say that I am impressed Tatsumi. You really showed your worth in your first battle according to Akame."

Tatsumi scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly at the bosses praise. "Thanks boss. It was nothing."

"On the contrary it was most certainly something. Akame half expected you to fall for the enemies words and would need to be saved by her. But you proved otherwise." Najenda then pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "That being said, you are still a little rough around the edges, and it will take some work to polish your skills to the best they can be. So I will have you start training with Akame tomorrow." the silver haired woman said as she took a drag of her cigarette. "Is that acceptable with you Akame?"

Akame, who looked a bit too engrossed with her own meal, turned and nodded to the boss. "Mhmm." she mumbled as she chewed her food.

"Good. If Tatsumi happens to slack off then you have my permission to kill him." Najenda said, which caused Tatsumi's eyes to shoot open.

"What?!"

"Sure thing." responded Akame.

"Just like that?!" shouted Tatsumi. _'She didn't even hesitate in her response! What the hell is she thinking?!'_ Tatsumi thought as a chill ran up his spine.

"Aren't you lucky Tatsumi? Being able to be trained by such a cute girl." teased Najenda. "Good luck and try not to get killed."

Tatsumi gazed over at Akame who had returned to her meal. _'I'm going to team up with this girl from now on?'_


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N- Well, chapter 3 already. Don't expect me to keep up this pace. I will most likely be random in my updates.**

 **Not much to say otherwise.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter. Hopefully I went about this the right way. If not, then maybe I'll edit it.**

 **Be sure to leave a review, favorite, and follow. Especially a review. They're what helps me to improve and correct mistakes.**

 **Also, I will clarify something about the healing knife from chapter 1. Even if Tatsumi creates a new knife, it won't be able to heal someone who has already been healed by it. The body is only able to withstand the regeneration process once.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

As Tatsumi slept he dreamt of battle. Carnage the likes of which he could never imagine. Death and destruction on a grand scale.

And with each battle he witnessed he gained experience. Archer chose to use a rather unorthodox style of fighting. He purposely left holes in his guard for the enemy to exploit. But by knowing where they would strike, he would be able to move first and counter. It was a very risky strategy, but it was an effective tactic against those stronger than you.

As Tatsumi watched the battles continue, he heard Archer call out to him.

" **Given your current skill level, it would be wise of you to learn my style of fighting. You will not doubt encounter enemies who are vastly stronger than you. Especially if they posses a teigu."**

' _But... it seems pretty dangerous.'_

" **It is. One slip up and it could mean your end. So you just have to make sure you don't screw up."**

' _That doesn't really increase my faith in the style.'_

" **Regardless, I shall impart the knowledge of that style onto you. If you wish to train with me in a safe environment first, then I suppose I could do that. But true experience only comes from real battles. So don't expect me to go easy on you."**

' _I'm still not sure about this.'_

" **It matters not. Once you get the hang of it, the constant danger will become nothing more then an afterthought."**

' _If you say so.'_

 **(-)**

As Tatsumi slept, he never noticed Akame silently sneak into his room. The dark-haired girl walked up to his bed, and gently began to shake the sleeping boy. But instead of waking up, Tatsumi simply groaned and rolled over in his sleep. Releasing a light sigh, Akame grabbed Tatsumi's mattress and flipped it over. The teen was immediately sent hurdling through the air and landed on the ground with a crash.

"What the fuck?!" Tatsumi screamed as he threw the mattress off his back. He quickly scanned the room, looking for the one responsible for disturbing his sleep. His eyes glared at the red-eyed assassin when they landed on her. "What the hell Akame?!"

"Don't you remember what the boss said?" Akame asked in her usual monotone voice.

"What exactly are you talking about?"

"Boss told me to train you. So get ready and meet me at the training grounds, training starts now." Akame said as she turned to exited the room.

"But it's only..." Tatsumi turned to look at the clock in his room. "5 o'clock in the morning! Is the sun even up yet?!"

"It doesn't matter." Akame said, turning to face Tatsumi again. "I'm up this early every morning to train, and as long as you're training under me, I expect you to be as well. And try to stop with the yelling. Mine hates it when people interrupt her beauty sleep."

Tatsumi groaned. He really didn't want to deal with an angry Mine. Normal Mine was insufferable enough. "Okay, I'll be down in 5 minutes."

After getting dressed, Tatsumi quickly made his way down to the training grounds. Upon arriving, he found that Akame was waiting for him. The dark-haired girl was doing so warm ups and stretches. Tatsumi couldn't help but gawk as he watched the beautiful girl go through her various movements. She was incredibly flexible as shown by all of the angles she was bending her body at. The young mans face began to flush red, the somewhat suggestive poses that Akame was making caused his mind to go straight to the gutter.

"If you're done staring then we can get started." Akame's voice jolted Tatsumi from his perverted thoughts.

" **Focus." Archer scolded. "Damn hormonal teenagers."**

"S-so, what are we doing first?" Tatsumi asked, trying to control his raging blush from being caught.

"We're gonna work on your stamina. And the best way to do that is go for a run." Akame replied as she finished doing her leg stretches.

"That's it? We're just going for a run?" Tatsumi asked in a confused tone.

"How do you think I can move so fast? I've done dozens of speed exercises, and I always start with a morning run." Akame explained as she took up a sprinters stance. "Once you accomplish the goal I set for you however, then we can stop doing this."

"And that goal being?"

"Catch me." as soon as the words left her mouth, Akame took off down the path in front of her. Only a few seconds had passed and she was already almost a hundred yards away.

"WHAT?!" Tatsumi screamed, before taking off after the speedy assassin. "That was a dirty trick!"

" **Quit yelling. You're wasting breath."**

' _Whatever. I just need to reinforce my legs and I'll catch her in no time."_

" **Denied."**

' _What do you mean 'denied'?!'_

" **The purpose of this exercise is to increase your stamina. If you just cheat by using Reinforcement then you'll never improve. Besides, it's not like you can use magic for as long as you want to. Eventually your body will tire, and then you'll have to rely upon your standard abilities. So for the time being you are forbidden from using Reinforcement during training."**

' _Grr! You god damned-!'_

" **Focus. You're losing her."**

No matter how fat Tatsumi ran, Akame always seemed to stay ahead of him. His legs burned and ached as he tried his best to keep the dark-haired girl in view. The chase wound through the forest, past trees and over fallen logs. Akame appeared almost as a blur as she blazed a trail down her usual path. After almost an hour, Akame finally came to a stop. While Akame looked like she had hardly broken a sweat, Tatsumi on the other hand looked like he was ready to drop dead at any moment. His clothes were soaked with sweat and he was panting heavily.

"At least... I was able... to keep you... in view... the whole time... Fuck me..." he said between breaths.

"That's because I wasn't running as fast as I could." Akame said, to which Tatsumi slumped over in defeat. "But after todays performance, it has become clear to me that we have a lot to work on." Akame walked past Tatsumi and back down the path they had just run. "Time to head back. The next part of your training will begin when we get back to the training grounds."

' _I don't think I'll make it back like this.'_

" **Fine. Reinforce your limbs if you must."**

' _Oh thank you!'_

Prana flowed into Tatsumi's legs and he managed to stand upright again.

"Come on now. We're running late." spoke Akame.

"I'm on my way."

 **(-)**

After another hour of training, Akame stopped to inform Tatsumi that they would be preparing breakfast for everyone. And it was with that, that Tatsumi found himself following Akame to the kitchen.

"And why are we cooking the food again? Don't you think we deserve a bit of a break after all that?" asked Tatsumi.

"This is the break. I'm responsible for cooking the bases meals. And naturally that duty falls to you as well. So long as you are under my tutelage, you are required to aid me in the kitchen." explained Akame as the arrived at the kitchen. She rummaged through the closet and pulled out two aprons before tying up her hair. "Tell me, do you have any cooking experience?"

"Well, some. Me and my friends learned how to cook so we could feed ourselves, but I wouldn't call myself a chef." he answered.

"Hmm, it will have to do. Now put this on." Akame said as she tossed an apron at Tatsumi. "I'm going to deal with the meat. You work on the vegetables and fruit." she instructed.

Tatsumi put on the apron and walked over to the counter where there was an assortment of fruits and vegetables. "So what exactly am I doing?"

"The fruit will be an appetizer, while the vegetables will either be steamed or baked. I want you to cut them up. And once you're done, get started on some rice."

"Aye, aye boss." Tatsumi said as he began peeling an apple.

" **Fool."**

' _What now?'_

" **Do the vegetables first."**

' _Why?'_

" **She said they were going to be cooked. So they need to be prepared first. Whilst they're cooking you can do the fruit."**

' _Does it really matter the order I do it in?'_

" **..."**

Tatsumi could almost feel Archer glaring at him.

' _Hahh, fine.'_

He put down the apple and began peeling some carrots before he started chopping them up.

" **What do you think you're doing?"**

' _Cutting carrots. What does it look like?'_

" **Not like that you aren't. Your cuts are all uneven."**

' _Does that make a difference?'_

" **Of course it does. If they are differently sized then they will cook at different rates. Some may be overcooked whilst others are under cooked. Now start over and do as I say."**

' _Why are you being so critical of my cooking?!'_

" **If you are my reincarnation then I expect the quality of your cooking to meet my standards. I will except nothing less. But it seems that you require some work in this field. As such, I will now include memories of me cooking to your nightly dreams."**

' _Oh come on!'_

" **For now I will have you do as I say. And trust me, once we're done you'll be glad I forced you through this."**

' _Somehow I doubt that...'_

 **(-)**

"MORE!"

"Akame! Did you put something special in our breakfast today?!"

"This tastes better than usual!"

"I'm so glad I'm part of Night Raid!"

Tatsumi and Akame could only watch in stunned silence as the group of assassins devoured every last morsel that was placed on the table. It was as if they hadn't eaten in days.

Akame turned to Tatsumi. "What did you do?"

"Ehe, heh, heh... What do you mean?" he asked nervously.

"Something is different about the cooking. They've never reacted like this before. The only variable here is you. So spill it; what did you do?"

Tatsumi sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I'm a better cook than I thought."

"TATSUMI!" Leone shouted as she shot up out of her chair and ran over to the teen. She then proceeded to suffocate him with her boobs as she hugged him. "Please marry me! I cannot go another day without your cooking!" Leone was begging as she wriggled her body and shook Tatsumi.

"Grr! So jealous!" shouted Lubbock.

"Ha, ha! Looks like Akame has some competition for being the bases cook." joked Bulat.

"I suppose that was a rather adequate meal." Mine said, trying to seem unimpressed.

"Well, I guess I should see just what all the fuss is about." Akame said as she made herself a plate of food and took a bite. The group watched in silence as Akame was frozen in place. She moved not a muscle, her face impassive.

"Uhh, Akame?" Sheele called out as she poked the girl.

Suddenly Akame sprang to life and shoveled the rest of the food down her mouth; right before she made herself another plate, and another, and another. There was barely any food left for Tatsumi to eat by the time she was done. Her eyes then snapped to Tatsumi, a certain feral look in them, almost predatory. She ran over and ripped Tatsumi from Leone's grip and pulled him to her chest.

"He's mine." she spoke in monotone, but there was an underlying threat to it. It was almost as if she was declaring him as her property, and that no one else was allowed to have him.

"Nuh uh! I called first dibs!" Leone shouted as she pulled Tatsumi back into her bosom.

"Well he's training with me. So by that logic he's mine." Akame reasoned as she pulled Tatsumi back into her embrace.

"Yeah, well I met him first! I was after all, the one who swindled him." the blonde said as she grabbed Tatsumi by the arm and pulled.

"That means nothing. In fact, he's probably still mad at you." the red-eyed girl said as she grabbed his other arm and pulled.

Soon it devolved into a tug of war with them using Tatsumi as a rope.

"Come on Tatsumi! Don't you want to be with onee-san?!"

"No! He wants to be with someone who can truly appreciate his cooking."

"Tatsumi! If you go with me then you'll have access to these girls~." Leone said as she lowered her tube top slightly to expose her cleavage.

"That's low Leone." growled Akame.

"You're just sore 'cause you don't have the same advantage." she countered with a smirk.

"Don't I get a say in this?!" shouted Tatsumi.

"NO!"

"Argh! I'm am so jealous right now!" cried Lubbock, tears falling from his eyes.

' _Damn it Archer! You knew this would happen!'_

" **Hmpf, perhaps. I just didn't expect it to be this bad. But you can't say you aren't enjoying this. Two beautiful women are fighting over you after all."**

' _Yeah, but this fight is gonna kill me!'_

Thankfully, salvation came from Sheele of all people. "Why not just share him?" she asked plainly.

The two girls stopped and took a moment to think about the possibility, and finally let up on dislocating Tatsumi's arms.

"Hmm, I'm willing to share if you are." spoke Leone.

"Hahh, I suppose I can work with that." Akame agreed.

"You do realize I'm a person right?" asked Tatsumi. "I'm not a childrens toy. I have rights!"

"Not anymore you don't!" smiled Leone. "Besides, what kind of guy doesn't want a harem?"

"ME APPARENTLY!"

"Come on Tatsumi!" Bulat called out. "A real man should be able to make all the girls that love him happy!"

"Whose side are you on?!"

"This isn't about love." Akame stated. "This is about food."

"Well you know what they say; the way to the heart is through the stomach." added Sheele.

"Come on guys, that's enough fooling around. We got to get going. That includes you Leone." Mine said as she got up and grabbed her stuff.

"Aww!" groaned Leone. "Do I have to?"

"Yes!" Mine shouted. "We all have a job to do! I don't care how much you like the new guys cooking, our job takes priority!"

"Tch, fine." Leone relented as she went to join the group. "But I'm not giving up on Tatsumi, you hear me Akame?!" she shouted as she pointed dramatically at Akame.

"Understood."

Once the rest of the gang left, it was just Tatsumi and Akame alone in the kitchen.

"So, can I have my breakfast now?" Tatsumi asked.

"Go ahead. Once you're finished we will do the dishes. And after that we will head out to take some lives." responded Akame.

Tatsumi sweatdropped. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"We're going hunting for dinner. I look forward to seeing what you can do with river tuna."

" **Hmm, I can think of a few recipes."**

' _You're not helping!'_

" **Just taste the damn food you made and then tell me I'm not helping."**

True enough, Tatsumi had yet to taste any of the things he cooked for breakfast, so this would be quite the experience.

 **(-)**

" **I told you it would be worth it."**

' _Shut up.'_

" **You can sulk all you want, I still know that you enjoyed it."**

' _I said Shut Up!'_

" **And the way things are shaping up, you'll have your own harem by this time next month. Really, you should be thanking me."**

' _You're making my life a nightmare! As much as I liked the cooking, I don't want to be stuck on kitchen duty! I'm an assassin for fucks sake!'_

" **Assassins need to eat too. And given their line of work, it would be best to treat every meal as your last. Because who knows, it just might be. So I expect you to maintain the level of food quality you had produced this morning."**

' _I absolutely loathe you.'_

" **Well, if that's the case, then perhaps I should leave you to your own devices. I'll stop my training sessions and you can struggle to figure out your powers on your own."**

Tatsumi began to sweat nervously.

" **But just know this; now that those girls have tasted your food, they will not stop until you provide for them again. And if your food were to suddenly, let's say, lose its flavor, then I'm sure they would riot. Trust me, I know."**

' _... My apologies master! I have no idea what came over me! Truly your food is that of the gods and I will be happy to prepare it as such!'_

" **That's more like it."**

Tatsumi snapped out of his mental conversation and refocused on the task at hand. Currently he and Akame were hiking through the mountains south of Night Raid's base.

"Hey Akame, is it alright for us to be getting this far away from the hideout?" Tatsumi asked, glancing back at the sprawling mountains behind them.

"We'll be fine if we go a little further into the mountains. Actually, we should be there soon." Akame said as she pushed through the bushes in front of her. It wasn't long before they happened upon a large clearing with a pristine isolated river and waterfall. "See? Here we are."

"Wow... What a nice place." Tatsumi said in awe, completely unaware of the fact that Akame was stripping out of her clothes behind him.

"We must eliminate the underwater prey." Akame stated as she tossed off her shirt.

"What are you... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Tatsumi exclaimed as he looked at Akame with wide eyes. The dark-haired girl had shed her clothes and was now dressed in a small red bikini. Tatsumi's entire face burned red at the sight of Akame's beautiful body. Watching her stretch was one thing, this was something else entirely.

" **Get your head out of the gutter." Archer scolded.**

' _R-right.'_

"I need to be able to move fast in the water." Akame explained as she walked over to the edge of the water. "So I shed all unnecessary clothing."

' _Oh... That makes sense then.'_ Tatsumi thought, suddenly feeling stupid for overreacting.

"We'll be hunting river tuna. That is the goal for todays hunt." she said before diving into the river.

"But... aren't those the extremely rare and cautious fish that-" Tatsumi was cut off when several tuna literally exploded out of the water and landed in Akame's wicker basket. _'What the fuck?! Is she fishing with dynamite or something?!'_

Moments later, Akame resurfaced for a quick breath of air. "Erase your presence and swim along the riverbed. When the prey comes close, you strike in that instant. You will need to give it everything you have. Can you handle it?" Akame explained.

"Bring it on!" Tatsumi exclaimed as he ripped off his shirt and dove in the water.

 **(-)**

"So..." Najenda said, taking a bite out of her delicious tuna. "In the end Tatsumi managed to catch four... That's pretty impressive for your first time."

"Hey..." Leone said, nudging Tatsumi in the shoulder. "Is it true you yelled 'bring it on' as you ripped off your clothes?" Tatsumi's face flushed red in embarrassment as Leone leaned in closer. A shiver ran down the young mans spine, when the busty blonde whispered in his ear. "Because if it is, then maybe you can give me a preview in private later~."

"That's enough teasing Leone." Najenda said, grinning at the madly blushing Tatsumi. "The poor kid looks like he's about to pass out."

"It's not teasing if the offer stands~." Leone whispered as she gave Tatsumi one last sultry wink before returning to her food. Tatsumi's face was now a shade of red that rivaled Akame's eyes.

However said girl glared weakly at Leone. "No hogging."

"I already said I'm willing to share him. Provided he can still make enough food for the both of us."

"My fate has already been decided, hasn't it?" Tatsumi asked.

"Yep." both girls answered in unison.

Tatsumi sobbed as he lay his head down on the table. "Just my luck."

Najenda cleared her throat, getting the attention of the assassins. "Anyway... Akame, how was Tatsumi's first day of training with you?" asked Najenda.

"He needs work..." answered Akame between bites.

' _Shit. She doesn't think much of me at all.'_ thought Tatsumi. _'And I can never tell what she's thinking either. I'm still too weak!'_

"But... he shows great promise." said Akame in monotone praise.

' _Really?! I do?!'_ thought Tatsumi in surprise.

"Hmm, that's good to hear." said Najenda before turning her attention to Leone and placing her chopsticks down. "Leone, tell me about the request you received the other day."

Leone suddenly turned serious. "Yes boss. Our targets are Ogre of the capital guards and an oil merchant named Gamal." Leone explained as she clasped her hands together on the table. "According to the client; Ogre has been accepting bribes from Gamal. Apparently, every time Gamal commits a crime, Ogre has someone else take the fall for him. The clients fiance was framed for one of the crimes and was put to death."

Tatsumi clenched his fists in silent rage.

"While the fiance was in prison, he heard the two discussing their crimes and managed to send out a letter to our client so that she would know what happened to him." Leone then pulled out a sack of coins and placed it on the table. "This is the payment for the job."

"That person saved up this much money?" Tatsumi gaped.

"I could smell venereal diseases on her." Leone said in a dark tone with fists clenched. "She must have been forced to sell her body to anyone willing to pay in order to save up the money."

"That's... horrible." spoke Tatsumi.

"... Have you confirmed the clients claims?" asked Najenda as she lit up a cigarette.

"They're guilty." answered Leone. "I observed them for a time from the attic of the merchants shop where the two of them discussed their dirty dealings."

"Very well." Najenda said as she took a drag of her cigarette. "Night Raid will accept this request. We will deliver punishment upon the heads of these heinous monsters. And send them to the hereafter."

"Taking out Gamal will be simple." said Leone. "But Ogre will be a different matter entirely."

"How so?" asked Tatsumi.

"Ogre the Demon. That is his moniker. He is called 'The Demon' because his skills with a sword make him an object of terror to the criminals of the capital." explained Leone. "He is usually seen with his merry band of lackeys as he patrols the city streets. But other than that he hangs out at the garrison HQ. Gamal comes to his private room to give him bribes. Due to his station, on his days off he spends time near the palace drinking at bars on main street."

"Looks like our only shot is on his days off." said Tatsumi.

"But the security around the palace is tight. For Akame, who's face is plastered all around the palace, this will be a tough mission." said Najenda

"Shall we wait for the rest of the group to return?" suggested Akame.

"But we don't know when they will finish their job." Leone pointed out as she leaned back in her seat.

"If that's the case, then just send me!"

Tatsumi said as he slammed his palm on the table. "I can take care of it!"

"So, you're saying that you'll take out Ogre?" Najenda asked with an amused smirk.

"Yes." Tatsumi said with resolve. "I'll take care of Ogre, and Akame and Leone can handle Gamal."

"As you are now, you stand no chance... even with your teigu." Akame spoke in monotone.

"While we stand here debating, there may be other innocent people being framed for crimes they didn't commit! If that's the case, I'll handle him myself!" Tatsumi shouted with conviction. "The feeling of having your most cherished person being taken away... I don't want anyone to have to experience that loss... So if I have to kill this fucker on my own, then I WILL do it!"

Najenda's cigarette twirled in her mouth as she grinned in approval. "Understood. I can appreciate your descision and your resolve. Go kill the demon. Akame, Leone, I'll leave Gamal to you two."

"You got it boss!" cheered Leone.

"How about that Akame?! When it's time, I can step up to the challenge!" said Tatsumi.

"... Where does this self confidence come from? You haven't had a successful mission until you've given your report." Akame said as she turned away from Tatsumi. "As you are now, so full of yourself, you'll end up dead."

"Wha!" Tatsumi's would be rant was cut off short when Archer spoke up.

" **She's right you know. Don't get ahead of yourself or you'll just end up dead. No army that has fought with an overly optimistic outlook has ever lasted very long."**

"Damn it." muttered Tatsumi. _'I'm definitely going to succeed and make you see me in a different light.'_

 **(-)**

The next night Leone led Tatsumi through the capital towards main street. "If you go straight that way it should lead you straight to main street." said Leone as she pointed down the street.

"Got it!" said Tatsumi.

"Hey Tatsumi. You wanna hear a story about Akame?"

"Huh?"

"When Akame was young both she and her sister were bought somewhere in the Empire. Poor parents selling their kids is quite a common albeit sad story." explained Leone.

Tatsumi's face turned sad at learning such a fact.

"She then got accepted into a training program for assassins along with other kids that were in the same boat as her. There, she learned how to kill people and somehow survived the hellish conditions." spoke Leone. "She worked under the empire, following their every order. She was the perfect assassin. But with every mission she carried out, she could feel more of the darkness within the empire. The boss, who was her target at the time, succeeded in persuading her to defect from the empire and join the Revolutionary Army who cared about the people... By that time it seemed that most of the comrades she had trained and grew up with were already dead." said Leone somberly. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" asked Leone.

Tatsumi huffed with his hands on his hips. "As an amateur I should I should shut up and listen to the professional killer, right?"

Leone smiled gently and let out a slight sigh. "Well, you'll understand if you are successful today."

"Yeah! I'm definitely going to do this!" shouted Tatsumi as he made his way down the street.

"Good hunting!" Leone said as she gave a thumbs up.

As Tatsumi walked the streets, he heard Archer speak to him.

" **You remember the plan right?"**

' _Yeah. I approach Ogre and lead him away from the streets. Once I have him out of sight I kill him.'_

" **Remember, don't hesitate and make sure the opponent is dead before you celebrate, alright?"**

 _'Got it.'_

After a short while, Tatsumi found his had just left a bar and finished talking with some people so now was the time to strike. "Uhmm... Ogre-sama?" Tatsumi called out.

"Hnn?" the man grunted as he turned to face Tatsumi. "What is it?"

"I have something I would like to speak with you about."

"What? Spit it out then." Ogre grumbled.

"Talking about it in the open like this would be a little problematic. Perhaps we can hold this discussion in this alleyway?" Tatsumi suggested as he gestured to a nearby alley.

"Hnn, fine. But make it quick. This is my day off and I have places to be." Ogre said as he followed Tatsumi. "This should be fine right?" _'I don't sense any danger coming from this kid.'_ Ogre thought as he stared at Tatsumi.

"Yes, this will do just fine." Tatsumi then turned to face Ogre. "I beg of you! Please let me into the capital's defense force!" he said as he bowed on his hands and knees.

If Ogre was taken aback by the sudden proclomation he didn't let it show. "What?"

"I must earn enough money to send back to my home village in the country sir!" sobbed Tatsumi.

"Haaahhhh." sighed Ogre. "I thought it might be something like this." he muttered as he scratched the back of his head. "Then apply through the normal process idiot!" he said as he waved Tatsumi off and turned to leave.

"But that takes forever!"

"I don't care!" shouted Ogre, his back still to Tatsumi. "It isn't my job to judge wannabe soldiers so just-" Ogre was cut off by the two and a half feet of steel that was currently plunged through his chest. "Wha..." he uttered before Tatsumi pulled the blade out.

' _Don't hesitate. Ensure the target is dead.'_ he thought as he brought the blade around and decapitated Ogre, his eyes still opened wide in shock. The body fell to the ground as blood spurted out of the neck, making a complete mess of the alley. But not a drop landed on Tatsumi as he was already gone.

" **Good. Now let's head back. The others should already be done with their target by now."**

 **(-)**

Back at the Night Raid base the small group of assassins was gathered in the meeting room.

"Good job on dealing with the target!" praised Najenda.

"Thanks! It was nothing!" boasted Tatsumi as he turned to Akame. "Not bad, huh Akame?" Tatsumi said with a smirk as he turned to face the red eyed assassin. "I've done my job, given my report, and done it all without getting hurt. Pretty impressive right?" Tatsumi said as his ego grew bigger.

" **Tone it back a bit kid. All you did was kill a man. Nothing to be proud about."**

' _But he was an asshole who had it coming! I ain't going to lose any sleep over his death.'_

"Yeah, not a scratch on me! That must be some kind of record." Tatsumi said as Akame approached him. "Now you'll have to acknowledge me-"

He was cut off when Akame suddenly grabbed his shirt and lifted it over-head, exposing his chest.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Tatsumi screeched.

"Leone, boss, hold him." said Akame stoically.

"Understood." said Najenda as she grabbed Tatsumi's right arm.

"Oh, this seems like fun~!" said Leone as she grabbed Tatsumi's left arm.

"What's going on?!" shouted Tatsumi. "You can't possibly be wanting to have..." he trailed off as a blush graced his face. "Somebody help me!" he shouted as he struggled to escape his captors.

" **Is this some kind of hazing?"**

Akame then pulled down Tatsumi's pants, leaving him in his boxers.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" he shouted in embarrassment as Akame's eyes looked over his exposed body.

"Thank goodness." she said with a gentle smile which caught Tatsumi off-guard. "I've seen friends die from poison and infection because they wanted to seem tough and not report that they got hurt." she said with emotion for once. "But you seem to be undamaged."

' _She really does care...'_ thought Tatsumi as he blushed.

"The mortality rate for those on their first mission is extremely high. You did very well!" Akame said as she took Tatsumi's hand and held it.

"Th-thanks..." Tatsumi responded.

"Akame was hoping that you would live." said Leone. "She would have been upset if you had died."

"Oh, really?" Tatsumi said as he looked to Akame. He noticed a slight blush grace her face and noticed that her eyes were focused downward. He followed them and realized that he was still holding her hand. "Gah! Sorry!" he said as he recoiled.

"Not a problem." Akame said as she lookd at her hand. "It was... warm."

"You learn to communicate with your comrades while cooking." started Najenda. "You learn to kill through a difficult hunt. Did you notice that everything you did in these days was benficial to you?" she asked.

"Eh... oh... really?" stuttered Tatsumi. He then turned to Akame. "Sorry Akame. I... misunderstood."

"It's alright." she said as she gazed into his eyes. "From hear on out, promise me that you will continue to come back alive, Tatsumi."

"Sure thing! It's a promise!" he said with a big smile. "Please continue to take care of me Akame." The girl blushed ever so slightly and turned away from him. _'What was that about?'_

"I wonder what his intentions are whilst saying that almost naked." joked Leone as she held back her laughter.

"You're the ones that stripped me in the first place!" shouted Tatsumi.

"By the way Tatsumi, you'll be working under Mine next." spoke Najenda.

"Geh." Tatsumi exclaimed as he dressed himself.

"It's just one thing after another with you ain't it~?" teased Leone.

"I... I have to work with her?!" shouted Tatsumi.

" **I sense trouble in your immediate future."**

' _So do I.'_


End file.
